C&C Labs News Wire

— Wednesday, October 21, 2009 —

Acid_Cr@sh has sent in his latest Red Alert 3 map, a map that really does need teamwork if you want to win. Highly detailed, with plenty of areas to choose in order to plan those team attacks. The map is over in our downloads section, and is simply a must-have map for adding to your library. Use the thumbnail images below for a closer preview.

Author's Description: This one is my 4th map and it was originally designed for Mission-like scripted gameplay but due to hard modding issues, I'm releasing this one with scripts-free Skirmish Gameplay. This map was also a participant of CnCMaps.com Command & Conquer Map Competition.

About Gameplay: This one is about pure team play. Two land masses represent each team and are separated by river. Small island town located in the centre of the map, it has a Veteran Academy and expansions and the two land masses are connected by bridges. There are also remote ocean islands with Expansions and Oil Derricks to diverse and protract the gameplay. There are even more terrain features I implemented, which you may find during match play. Both team mates start close to each other: one on the cliff with no direct base entrance and 2 Ore Nodes and the other one - down the valley with head entrance including a beach. So basically this player will have his hands full defending, but he has 3 Ore Nodes available instantly with no expansion needed. Be aware though, that this player has no nearby expansions. (after all, having 3 Refineries is a decent handicap)

IMPORTANT: Due to the specifications of this map it is strongly advised that it should not be played as 4 players FFA. (no teams)

— Tuesday, October 20, 2009 —

Another adapted 4 player Red Alert 3 map made by mirza044, who has taken on the task of creating the map from Yuri's Revenge, using further detail and info from the Kane's Wrath battlemap. The map is very highly detailed and looks like a lot of time has been used in it's creation. An excellent map!
The map is now available in our downloads section, but as usual, you can have a quick preview of the map, by using the thumbnail images below and compare with the YR original.

Author's Description: This is a 4-player map set in an urban setting. This map is a remake of Yuri's Revenge map Siege of Sarajevo (it's also remake of Kane's Wrath map Sarajevo Battlegrounds). A river runs through the city and separating the map on two parts (North, South). There are plenty of ore nodes, oil derricks and other tech buildings. Enjoy the map!

— Wednesday, October 14, 2009 —

Here's the latest 4 player Red Alert 3 map from Clone11b. Another highly detailed, well designed, and with plenty of enjoyment when playing 1v1, but an engrossing battle when strategies are applied during FFA games. Moscow Madness is already in our downloads section, but have a quick preview of the map, by using the thumbnail images below.

Author's Description: Moscow Madness is a four player symmetrical map with three or four expansion points located in a variety of places nearby.
Each base has several points of entry, two by land and two by water. The only way to access the other half of the map is via the main bridge running from North to South, but as you reach the centre island you will notice that if the bridge is destroyed yours forces will be trapped, unless they are amphibious. The centre island has four ore nodes as well as two oil derricks, which means that this area is well worth securing. There are also 2 oil derricks on each of the smaller centre islands, with 2 ore nodes nearby, and another 1 located to the East and West.

— Sunday, October 11, 2009 —

We have a special treat today for Zero Hour fans. For the first time in just over 5 years, we are proud to release a new version of the Advanced AI Mod for Zero Hour!

Over the past several months, r42 has been improving upon the original mod author's work. Today, we are pleased to officially sanction his latest version, v0.98, which can now be downloaded from the mod's website.

For those unfamiliar with the mod, it improves the tactics used by computer players in Zero Hour. The mod was created to overcome the Zero Hour AI's predictability: after you've played enough skirmish matches, it becomes clear that the AI uses the same tactics, builds medicore bases, and often keeps too much cash in its banks for no particular reason. If you're a Zero Hour fan looking for more challenging skirmish games, then this mod is for you.

— Sunday, October 4, 2009 —

The Labs Staff have been brushing away a few cobwebs and rummaging in the dark corners of their collections to bring you a wider selection of Red Alert 2 and Yuri's Revengemaps. All have been added to the downloads section giving a greatly enhanced choice. With over 160 RA2 maps and around 180 maps for Yuri's Revenge, there's well over 300 maps for you to soak in the nostalgia.

We have selected 3 of the added maps from each category for you to preview by clicking the thumbnails below:

— Sunday, October 4, 2009 —

Over on the EA Main forums, EA_Apoc has released a Modders Pack for RA3's Single Player Missions. Mod-makers can now check out the original map source code for all Red Alert 3 single player missions.
The download size is around 22Mb and the pack is an absolute must-have for all you modding gurus to use as a guide and check your procedures and code.

The tutorial details how to leverage a custom 3DS Max script (included) to help you create collapse models and easily get them working in-game. The tutorial is well-written, and includes step-by-step screenshots and code samples.